The unique group exhibition at the Ostrobothnian Museum, featuring eight Nordic artists, offers perspectives on the contemporary landscape.

The exhibition by the artist group Art Alliance of Arctic South (A-A-A-S) has previously been shown in the United States. The members of the artist group are Dragos Alexandrescu (RO/FI), Linnéa Therese Dimitriou (SE), Heidi-Anett Haugen (NO), Hanna Kanto (FI), Lotta Lampa (SE), Patricia Rodas (FI), Anastasia Savinova (RU/SE) and Madelaine Sillfors (SE). They have been working together since 2019. Lay Of(f) the Land arrives in the Nordic countries with new works. The works are all united by a strong connection to the landscape, nature, and the cultural layers of the North.

The northern experience as a common ground

The artists’ shared perspective arises from the northern experience: a changing landscape that reflects the history of colonialism, ecological destruction, and the continuous ebb and flow of grief and healing. Personal perspectives, often drawn from remote locations, extend to global socio-economic tensions and the realities of the climate crisis.

The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, installations, as well as photographic and video art. What unites the works is a place-specific perspective on identity, the environment, and cultural change. The exhibition presents both intimate personal stories and social commentary, with nature serving as a mirror and counterpoint to human activity.

At the intersection of landscape and identity

Patricia Rodas, one of Ostrobothnia’s central contemporary artists, explores domestic violence and its traces through performative photography. In her works, the northern landscape serves both as a refuge and a threat, reflecting the complexity of violence and recovery. Swedish artist Madelaine Sillfors works in painting, sculpture, installation, and performance. Her hometown, Kiruna, the collapse of its mine, and the town’s relocation are explored through the themes of loss and resilience. Lotta Lampa’s art combines bold shapes, unexpected materials – and car parts. The artist, from Kalix in northern Sweden, became fascinated with garage culture already as a child. In the exhibition, Lampa creates playful and colourful installations inspired by the aesthetics of raggar culture.

Collages and humans in the landscape

Swedish artist Linnéa Therese Dimitriou’s artistic work encompasses painting, sculpture, and spatial exploration. The exhibition features two of her works from the Rückenfigur series, in which painted figures turn their backs to the viewer while simultaneously interacting with their surroundings. Norwegian artist Heidi-Anett Haugen creates collages from magazines and printed materials. For her, collage is a poetic process in which the essence of reality is revealed. The collage series included in the exhibition plays with the tensions between gender, power, and the environment. Hanna Kanto, who grew up in the northern border region between Finland and Sweden, explores the relationship between humans and nature, as well as northern everyday work culture. She paints humorous figures that draw attention to forest management, sustainability, and the vulnerability of ecosystems.

Art inspired by ecology and the quiet landscape

Dragos Alexandrescu, born in Romania but now living and working in Ostrobothnia, combines video and painting in his installations. His art has gradually shifted from political imagery towards a more meditative expression, with Finland’s forests and quiet horizons serving as both subjects and settings.  The works of Anastasia Savinova, who moved from the foothills of the Urals to Umeå in Sweden, combine ecology and performance art. Her sculptures, videos, and installations are made from natural materials and plastic waste, creating worlds where humans and the environment intertwine.

The exhibition has been produced by Vaasa Museums for the Ostrobothnian Museum and curated by Exhibition Curators Noora Lehtovuori and Janna Sirén as well as the international curator Vasia Rigou. Rigou has also curated the earlier Lay Of(f) the Land exhibitions in the United States.  Chicago-based, Greek-born Rigou works as a writer, editor-in-chief, and curator. Her work focuses on the intersections of visual art, culture, architecture, and design.

Lay Of(f) the Land is on view at the Ostrobothnian Museum from 29 November 2025 to 12 April 2026, with artist talks organised alongside the exhibition. The exhibition has received support from the Finnish Heritage Agency and the Gröndahl Brothers’ Foundation.

After its run at the Ostrobothnian Museum, the Lay Of(f) the Land exhibition will travel to the Västerbotten Museum in Sweden, where it will be on view from 24 May to 1 November 2026.